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Original poster

baby number 2 labour compared to baby number 1??

33 replies

Emsgale · 26/12/2011 20:10

hello
just wondered how your exsperiences differed with your labour??
my first labour was about 24 hours epidural didnt work ended with episiotomy and forceps recovery felt long very uncomfertable healing!
midwife asures me 2nd will be easier??
have you found this to be true??
ems xxx

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Sparklingbaubles · 26/12/2011 20:12

My second labour was 35 v painful minutes. Shock

First was 24 hours of moderate pain.

recall · 26/12/2011 20:16

similar, my 1st was 14 hours, very text book, 2nd was fast and furious agony, I made the mistake of expecting it to be the same and left it too late for an epidural - misery !!

D0G · 26/12/2011 20:16

This reply has been deleted

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Fuzzywood · 26/12/2011 20:17

First about 10 hours ended in episiotomy. Only G&A though do not that bad. Second 2 hours, not even a scratch and back home in my own bed less than 3 hours later. So in my experience your mw is correct but I know others where this wasn't the case.

Original poster
Emsgale · 26/12/2011 20:17

my first was agony so dont care about pain just found the it so tiring being so long! xx

OP posts:
Svrider · 26/12/2011 20:20

My first baby involved vontouse and stirrups and drips and a two day stay in hospital
My second was much more straight forward. None if above, and home by tea time
Good luck

Original poster
Emsgale · 26/12/2011 20:23

did anyone have a bad exsperience with a epidural and go on to need one next time and it work?x

OP posts:
galwaygal · 26/12/2011 20:53

For me the first was the worst labour, the next one was fast and furious once it got going. The last one I did not even make it out of the house!

Hated the epidural first time, made a long labour, even longer, and recovery was harder. The next two births happened too quickly for any real pain relief, and recovery was fast too.

puzzletree · 26/12/2011 20:54

First was 26 hours from contractions starting and birth, was exhausted by the end, contractions tailed off and had to be brought back with a drug drip, and it took over 2 hours of pushing and an episiotomy but got there in the end.
Second was less than 9 hours, 9am start and he was born at 5.45pm, only 3 big pushes to get him out.
So in my experience 2nd time round was definitely easier! Good luck

Piffpaffpoff · 26/12/2011 21:04

First was 14hrs from first twinge to birth, second was 3hrs from first twinge to birth. Both were inductions. They started off v similar but the second time round it was like someone hit the ffwd button after an hour. After 2.5 hours I was thinking 'I can't cope with this for another 12 hours (I had it in my head that they would both take exactly the same length of time!) and got a real fright when I suddenly wanted to push. Waters broke on the first push and DD flew out on the third. I spent the next hour or two going 'are you sure that's me finished? really?'. DH said after, how did you not realise - did you not see the midwives running around getting all the kit ready? Er no love, I was a teensy bit busy....

Dinosaurdrip · 26/12/2011 21:04

First was 4 hours from contractions starting to birth and second was 1.5/2hrs both as painful as each other. 1st pethedine given too late, gave birth 10 mins after injection and 2nd no time for anything.

TeWihara · 26/12/2011 21:19

Without wishing to freak you out at all my 2nd birth was longer and more awkward than my first.

But - it was still only a dayish of not v painful pre-labour and 13hrs of labour, had to be guided much more by MWs as it wasn't very textbook or regular and got the pushing urge to early so had to stop pushing for a few hours. Which is really not that bad!

But DD was 8hrs from first twinge to last so it got very disheartening at the time - just to prepare you that it isn't always the case that 2nd babies are quicker.

On the plus side I had a 2nd degree tear with my first and only grazes with this one, making a big difference to my recovery.

SantaffetaClaus · 26/12/2011 21:23

First - 36 hours, epidural, ventouse
Second - 1 hour 10 mins from first contraction, had her within 4 minutes of arriving at hospital, had her standing up, just got my pants off in time, midwives caught her Xmas Smile

cece · 26/12/2011 21:28

My 2 nd was much easier and he was over 11lbs!

1st - induced on Weds and gave birth on Fri. Long and tiring.

2nd - 8 and half hours of labour and much quicker pushing stage.

GwendolineMaryLacedwithBrandy · 26/12/2011 21:38

I'm wondering this. First was (induced) 4 hours start to finish. Am wondering what number 2 will be like as I face it any day now. Should I be preparing for a very quick hospital dash? No one seems to be able to answer whether the shorter second labour thing applies if you were induced the first time.

SantaffetaClaus · 26/12/2011 21:42

My waters broke with my first but there was nothing happening so they induced me.

My very short second labour could have been the result of raised blood pressure at the end of the pregnancy.

mominamillion · 26/12/2011 21:50

2nd was the easiest BY FAR of all 4 of mine.

Dd1 - induced (2+wks late) 48hrs of sheer hell
Dd2 - induced (2+wks late) 11 hrs - bearable
Dd3 - induced (2+wks late) 24hrs of sheer hell
Dd1 - induced (2+wks late) 24hrs of sheer hell ending in EC.

mominamillion · 26/12/2011 21:51

That last one was dd4. Dd1 was only born the once Hmm

MrsDobalina · 26/12/2011 21:54

DC1 30hr home birth gone wrong, epidural, failed vontouse and EMCS.

DC2 I didn't even realise I was in labour Blush and the whole thing lasted 1hr5mins. In hindsight I realise this was because DC1 was back to back while DC2 was the other way round and the labour pains felt COMPLETELY different. I remember saying to DH "well this doesn't feel at all like labour but god it hurts as much as labour!". You think I might have twigged Grin.

RobinSparkles · 26/12/2011 22:02

First labour about 65 hours from start to finish. Back to back baby, ended up with an epidural and episiotomy and was put on a drip after birth to help stop bleeding as I was losing a lot of blood.

Second labour was about 11 hours from start to finish. I was in less pain at transition in my second labour than I was at 3 cms dilated into my first labour! Had gas and air and a second degree tear along episiotomy scar but nothing major.
It was a lovely birth experience, makes me want to do it again even though we've decided not to have anymore.

cakeslover · 26/12/2011 22:03

Dd1 (38 wks), epidural - 52 hours of hell!
Dd2 (39+6 wks), natural - 3 1/2 hours from first contraction to delivery, 3 pushes and she was out. Moderate pain and dare I say, quite enjoyable experience!

Good luck!

RobinSparkles · 26/12/2011 22:07

MrsDobalina it's strange how different back to back labour feels, isn't it? It feels very different to a baby who is the right way around.

bigfatgypsy · 26/12/2011 22:08

Sorry but my second was more complicated than my first. Both were long, over 15hrs in full labour, but I did manage to deliver my first naturally.

My second ended in an emergency section but he was quite big at 9lbs8 and 9 days overdue. I think generally second babies are quicker and easier so I'm an exception. Good luck!

alicethehorse · 26/12/2011 22:16

The epidural didn't work at all for me either (and they did the spinal tap thing several times). I only know one other person this happened to.

Emsgale did they give you any idea why it didn't work? (They apologised to me but said they didn't know why it didn't work).

alicethehorse · 26/12/2011 22:17

Also has anyone had the epidural not work the first time but then work in later births?

(Sorry for the hijack Emsgale but hopefully useful to you too!)

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